A Pennsylvania man has filed a class action lawsuit against an Ohio-based collections agency, alleging that the agency frequently exposes personal information in its correspondence.
Daniel Panichella, filed against United Collections Bureau Inc. of Toledo on Oct. 6 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, alleging that the collection firm's practices violates the Fair Debt Collection Act.
Panichella alleges that the defendant, in attempts to collect debts for Citibank, routinely exposed the debtor reference number on correspondence mailed via the U.S. Post Office in violation of the Federal Debt Collection Act. Panichella received a collection letter on Oct. 8, 2014, the complaint states, with the debtor reference number visible through the envelope window. The complaint states that the reference number "constitutes personal identifying information."
The plaintiff seeks unspecified damages and attorney fees. He is represented by Mark G. Moyniham of Pittsburgh.
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania case number 2:15-cv-01304-CB.